Tokyo: Taiwan's top envoy to Japan, Lee Yi-yang, on Friday expressed gratitude to the Japanese public for "understanding the differences between Taiwanese and Chinese people." This followed official comments from Japan rejecting the term "Taiwan Province."

According to Focus Taiwan, Lee Yi-yang shared his appreciation through a post on the Taipei Economic and Cultural Representative Office in Japan's X account. He cited recent survey data showing 74.5 percent of Japanese respondents feel an affinity toward Taiwan, while a 2024 poll revealed that 89 percent hold negative views of China. "We sincerely appreciate that Japanese people do not conflate Taiwan with China," he stated.

The remarks by Lee came after a Wednesday post by his office declaring, "Taiwan is Taiwan, not Taiwan Province." By Friday night, the post had garnered 2.9 million views, about 91,000 likes, and nearly 1,000 comments, with many Japanese users expressing their support.

This message was perceived as a counter to a post by Chinese Ambassador to Japan, Wu Jianghao, on Tuesday. Wu's post claimed that "people from all sectors in Taiwan Province are demanding that Sanae Takaichi apologize for her erroneous remarks," while sharing a news clip by Chinese state broadcaster CCTV with the same headline.

The "erroneous remarks" referenced were Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi's November 7 statement in parliament. She stated that a Chinese naval blockade of Taiwan could pose a "survival-threatening situation" for Japan, as reported by the Asahi Shimbun. Takaichi explained, "If warships are used and armed actions are involved, I think it may count," adding that the government would assess such situations on a case-by-case basis.

Under Japan's security laws, such a scenario could justify the use of "collective self-defense" if an attack on the United States or another closely related country is perceived as a threat to Japan's survival, even without a direct attack on Japan.